Foes show up loaded for bear hunt

Jeers greet hunters on last day; fewer bruins bagged

7:50 AM,
Dec. 10, 2012

Protesters jeer Conservation Officer Capt. Frank Panico (foreground).

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The clash over the coexistence of bears and people played out at the Whittingham Wildlife Management Area check station Saturday on the last day of the state's six-day bear hunt.

Some 120 protesters gathered across the street from the station - one of five in Sussex, Morris, and Warren counties - and jeered as hunters brought carcasses to be counted. Holding signs like "Christie Legacy - A Corrupt Trophy Hunt," they stayed for hours despite 40-degree temperatures, gray skies and deep mud.